Crossing your legs

[lilmonkey]

Is crossing your legs really as dangerous and bad for your health as my flatmate recently said to me? I know it's probably not the best thing in the world, but there are far unhealthier things I could be doing!

I was sat with my legs crossed at the ankle for about 5 minutes and she was leading off saying that I would probably die from a blood clot and definately get varicose veins. This really made me laugh as she takes no exercise, is about 4 stones overweight, lives on takeaways and drinks and smokes heavily, where as I play loads of sport, I'm not overweight, eat healthily, don't smoke and I drink about 6 units of alcohol a week!

Was she just being bossy as usual? Or is there really a serious risk rather than a theoretical one?

[kempie]

Back in the day, before the current media storm whipping up angst over airline travel, the only time DVT and its causes were ever mentioned was in relation to crossing your legs.

[Buenchico]

Crossing your legs at your ankles is extremely unlikely to restrict blood flow to any major blood vessels so I can't think of any way in which it could be harmful.

Crossing your legs at your thighs, which I frequently do, could possibly restrict blood flow to your legs, so DVT is a possibility (but still extremely unlikely). I'd probably try to avoid crossing my legs (at my thighs) on a plane but, given, the limited legroom on most aircraft, it's usually impossible to do this anyway!

The only main health consideration, which I'm aware of, is for men who wish to become fathers. Men's testicles are outside the main torso for a very important reason - sperm need to be kept at a lower temperature than the rest of the human body for them to remain fertile. If a couple are trying to conceive, then it's not a good idea for the man to cross his legs at his thighs (especially during intercourse!! LOL!!)

Chris

[darkstar]

Buenchice What number is that in k/stura crossing your legs during intercouse.   only joking

[dove]

by crossing my legs at crucial times in my life has helped me not to have children. It would have been more dangerous to UNCROSS them x

[lampgb]

I have worked in a hospital for a number of years and at one stage worked in the operating theatres. Whenever a patient about to undergo an operation was interviewed by the surgeon, if the patient had his/her legs crossed at the ankles the surgeon always asked them to uncross them. It was gently explained to them that, "we do not do that in here".